A landmine clearance charity will be given £7 million to continue its “life-saving” work in Ukraine and Afghanistan. The UK Government cash for the Hazardous Area Life-support Organisation (Halo) Trust will enable the charity to make land safe for agriculture in Ukraine, and to restore basic services affected by the threat of explosives in Afghanistan.
Development minister Anneliese Dodds also announced an additional £250,000 for one Halo project, which aims to dispose of 165 tons of unusable, unsafe ammunition and explosives from Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, Africa.
Read more…
Source: The Standard News
Sign up for Counter-IED Report Newsletter
Related:
- UK continues support for mine clearance in Syria
August 15, 2025
The UK has stressed its continued support for efforts to clear Syrian territory of mines. The British envoy for Syria, Ann Snow, warned in a post on X platform that “Syria is set to record the highest number of civilian landmine casualties in the world’’. Snow noted that Britain supports the work of the Mine Advisory ...
- Syria and Turkey strike new military deal
August 13, 2025
Syria and Turkey have struck a deal on military training and consultancy during a high-level Syrian delegation’s visit to Ankara on Wednesday, Turkey’s Defence Ministry announced. The agreement was signed for the regular exchange of personnel to enhance military co-operation; specialised skills training; and a series of programmes in counterterrorism, mine clearance, cyber defence, military engineering, ...
- Lebanon: Hezbollah ammunition depot explosion kills 6 soldiers south of Litani
August 9, 2025
Six Lebanese army soldiers were killed and others wounded in an explosion while inspecting a weapons depot in Majdal Zoun and Wadi Zibqin, Tyre. The victims include four members from the 5th Infantry Brigade and two from the Engineering Regiment. The Lebanese army is dismantling and detonating weapons and ammunition confiscated south of the Litani River, ...
- Zimbabwe: ZDF intensify demining efforts in Binga
August 6, 2025
The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) is intensifying demining efforts in the Binga district, with works currently underway in the Lusulu area. This was revealed by Zimbabwe National Army Chief of Staff Quarter Master Staff, Major General Simo Maseko, during the handover of newly constructed Veterinary offices in Binga on Tuesday. Early this year, three people died and ...
- Afghanistan: ANDMA Launches Extensive Mine Survey, Clearance Program In Five Provinces
August 5, 2025
The Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) has launched a comprehensive program to survey and clear mine-contaminated areas in the provinces of Bamyan, Logar, Ghazni, Helmand, and Ghor. The initiative will be implemented based on a memorandum of understanding between the Afghanista. National Disaster Management Authority and the international organization Halo Trust. According to the authority’s ...
- Ukrainian sappers to train at Middle East mine action school with funding from Paris
August 4, 2025
Ukraine will take another step toward the safe de-occupation and clearing of war remnants. On 4 August, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announced that sappers from the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the State Special Transport Service will be trained at the Regional School for Humanitarian Demining at the Lebanese Mine Action Center. The program will be funded ...
- SLD 45 EOD Technician Aids in POW/MIA Mission in Vietnam
August 4, 2025
PATRICK SPACE FORCE BASE, Fla. — Earlier this year, a member of Space Launch Delta 45 was able to take part in a unique opportunity to assist in the accounting of missing personnel from the Vietnam War. During a mission lasting from mid May to late June of 2025, U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Brian Vosper, ...
- Ukraine: Over 5,000 hectares cleared of explosives in de-occupied territories in July
August 3, 2025
In July, demining units of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense cleared 5,136 hectares of territory liberated from Russian occupation. This information was provided by the Main Department of Mine Action, Civil Protection, and Environmental Safety on Telegram, as reported by Ukrinform. The cleared areas included 4,850.46 hectares of agricultural land, 10.06 kilometers of highways, 0.6 kilometers of ...
- Cambodia: CMAC launches emergency response to clear UXOs after ceasefire
July 30, 2025
In the wake of the ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand that took effect at midnight on July 28, the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) has received multiple emergency explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) requests from conflict-affected communities, according to CMAC Director General Heng Ratana. The requests—primarily from border provinces Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey—highlight growing concerns ...
- Japan’s aid agency, U.N. sign deal to expand mine action cooperation
July 21, 2025
The government-backed Japan International Cooperation Agency and a U.N. unit in charge of landmine countermeasures have concluded an agreement to expand their cooperation in disposing of the munitions in Africa and other areas. JICA said the deal with the United Nations Mine Action Service, or UNMAS, aims to cement their collaborative ties in the field, particularly ...
- Thailand: Three soldiers injured in landmine explosion during patrol at Thai-Cambodian border
July 17, 2025
On July 16 at 9:45 AM, three soldiers from the 2302 Ranger Battalion were injured after stepping on a landmine while patrolling from the Morakot Operation Base to Hill 481, located along the Thai-Cambodian border. The incident occurred at coordinates WA 220 861 in an area known for unexploded ordnance left over from past conflicts. The ...
- Ukraine: In the first half of 2025, Ministry of Defence demining specialists cleared over 41,000 hectares of land
July 1, 2025
From January to June 2025, mine clearance units of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine cleared 41,243 hectares of land of explosive ordnance in areas previously liberated from russian occupation. This is nearly half the area of Kyiv or more than 57,000 standard football fields. Over the six-month period, 39,401.64 hectares of agricultural land were cleared, ...
- Syria: Emergency Minister, International Organizations discuss structure of National Mine Action Center
June 29, 2025
Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh discussed with representatives of international organizations and UN agencies the draft work plan for the National Mine Action Center in Syria and its structure, in line with humanitarian priorities and international practices. During the meeting, the participants underlined the importance of completing a review of the center’s scope ...
- Vietnam steps up efforts to address post-war UXO contamination
June 24, 2025
Efforts to address the consequences of unexploded ordnance (UXO) not only tackle the remnants of war but also pave the way for the revival of once-devastated land areas. More than half a century after the war, millions of unexploded bombs and mines remain buried underground, threatening lives and hindering development in many localities. According to the ...
- NZDF targets unexploded ordnance in Papua New Guinea
June 24, 2025
The Kiwis joined personnel from Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Papua New Guinea, the United States and United Kingdom for Operation Render Safe, an operation that has been targeting explosive remnants of war (ERW) left throughout the Pacific after the Second World War for over 20 years. More than 25,000 people have been injured or killed in ...
- Italy bolsters Ukraine’s humanitarian demining efforts with EUR 1.5 million contribution via UNDP
June 20, 2025
Italy has announced a new significant contribution to Ukraine’s humanitarian demining efforts, formalized today through the official signing of a EUR 1.5 million agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine. The agreement, the principle beneficiary of which will be the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, aims to bolster the UNDP Mine Action Programme ...
- The European Union donates 15 off-road vehicles to BiH Mine Action Centre to strengthen mine clearance efforts
June 19, 2025
The European Union donated 15 off-road vehicles to Bosnia and Herzegovina Mine Action Centre (BHMAC) today in Sarajevo. These vehicles will support the safe transport of demining teams and equipment to remote and hard-to-reach mine-suspected areas, enabling more efficient demining operations on the ground. The vehicles are procured under the larger EU funded Mine Action project, ...
- Ukraine faces $25 billion bill for farmland demining
June 16, 2025
Demining agricultural lands in Ukraine contaminated with explosive devices could cost nearly ₴1 trillion (about $25 billion), MP Nina Yuzhanina wrote on Telegram on June 14. “Economy Ministry data indicated that 30 auctions for demining agricultural lands totaling 5,370 hectares have been held since the beginning of 2025,” she wrote. “The final price of the work ...
- Ukraine: Cost of demining 1 ha of farmland stands at UAH 62,000
June 16, 2025
Almost UAH 1 trillion will be required to clear lands contaminated with explosive devices in Ukraine, MP Nina Yuzhanina reported on Telegram. ” According to the Ministry of Economy, 30 auctions have been held since the beginning of 2025 to demined agricultural lands with a total area of 5,370 hectares. The final cost of the work ...
- Ukraine: Pace of humanitarian mine clearance increases by 50%
June 14, 2025
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has reported that the scale of humanitarian mine clearance in Ukraine has increased by almost 50% over the past year. A total of 108 mine action operators have been certified, working to clear areas of explosive ordnance as of the beginning of June. Oleh Shuvarskyi, Head of the Mine Action ...
- Cambodia: Koh Kong’s Srae Ambel district declared mine-free
June 10, 2025
Srae Ambel District in Koh Kong Province was declared mine-free in a June 10 ceremony, with mine clearance efforts supported by assistance from the Government of India. Ly Thuch, first vice-president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), expressed his gratitude to the Government and people of India. He noted that it has ...
- Solomon Islands: NUXO team ends evaluation tour in Western and Choiseul
June 8, 2025
A team from the National Unexploded Ordnance (NUXO) Coordinating Office has successfully conducted a week-long evaluation and inspection tour across Western and Choiseul Provinces. According to Mr. Benzily Kasutaba, Director of the UXO Division under the Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services, the purpose of the tour was to strengthen provincial commitment to addressing ...
